Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) looked like pure gold on Saturday night, battering WBA light welterweight champion Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela (14-3, 9 KOs), winning a surprisingly easy 12 round unanimous decision in their co-feature battle at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Mandatory challenger Russell had no respect for the champion, Rayo Valenzuela’s punching power, and was pressing him all night, landing big punches to the head and body. Gary Antuanne’s hand speed and punching power advantage was a telling factor because it allowed him to fire back shots whenever Rayo attempted to throw.
The Scores
119-109
119-109
120-108
The ninth round bruised both of Valenzuela’s eyes, and he looked mentally defeated. However, he kept fighting back, catching Russell with huge shots in the championship rounds. Russell was reckless with his attacks in the 11th and 12th, walking into punches that would have knocked over a house.
In the final 30 seconds of the 12th, Valenzuela caught Gary Antuanne with a right hand that sent his mouthpiece out. He continued to hammer him with powerful right hands to the final bell. I don’t know how Russell stayed on his feet.
“I feel like I took attention from the main event, and that speaks volumes for itself,” said Gary Antuanne Russell to the media after the fight. “The sky’s the limit, especially when I’m determined. When I’m determined, I can be ruthless. I’m ready, I’m determined and I’m going to keep going.
“I’m proud of myself, I’m happy, but there are many more belts still out there,” Russell continued. “The journey must go on. It has to. From one to ten, I’d say about a six, because you got a lot of people that really don’t know boxing. They’re fan-friendly fans and they’ve got their own personal opinions, said Gary Antuanne when asked how important it was for him to showcase his talent after losing his previous fight against Alberto Puello.
“You don’t got to be the smartest. You know what an a** whopping looks like. In any language, it don’t matter. You know what a whooping looks like. The art itself, I feel like it’s got to get broken down. We always say, ‘You got to be better,'” said Russell.